


rich kids have problems too

by congratsyouvegrownasoul



Category: Succession (TV 2018)
Genre: Complicated Relationships, Dysfunctional Family, Gen, Kid Fic, Sibling Bonding, Sibling Rivalry, Skiing, thirteen year old boys are kind of horrible and Roman is no exception
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-13
Updated: 2019-11-13
Packaged: 2021-01-30 05:38:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,137
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21423064
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/congratsyouvegrownasoul/pseuds/congratsyouvegrownasoul
Summary: teenage Roys and a shitty family vacation at a luxury ski resort
Comments: 6
Kudos: 58





	rich kids have problems too

It’s weird having Kendall back for winter break. Roman had almost gotten used to him not being there, and suddenly he takes up more space than he had seemed to before. The whole way out to Colorado, it seems like his chatter fills the plane. He’s really milking the Ivy League golden boy thing for all it’s worth, Roman thinks with the cynicism of someone barely passing eighth grade Latin. 

“I haven’t decided whether I want to major in journalism or economics, but obviously Harvard has great programs for both.” Kendall explains to Gerri for about the third time in the last hour, shooting their father a sideways glance as if hoping he’ll weigh in. 

Roman leans over and pokes Shiv, who’s absently paging through a discarded copy of Vanity Fair. 

“Harvard has such great programs,” he echoes mockingly. 

Shiv rolls her eyes at him, but her lips twitch. 

* * *

“I call the one with the Jacuzzi bathroom,” Kendall announces in the foyer of the Aspen house, kicking snow off of his shoes. 

It’s a new house, built for their family on their dad’s specifications. This is only the third winter they’ve stayed here, and they don’t really have go-to rooms for each member of the family. This trip, with Gerri and Baird and their daughters tagging along to celebrate Gerri being made deputy general counsel, it’ll be a bit cramped, since there are only seven bedrooms. The little Kellman girls will even have to share. 

“How come you get that one?” Shiv and Roman say at the same time. Shiv sounds genuinely peeved, while Roman merely feels that he should make a complaint on principle.

“‘Cause I’m the oldest. I’m an adult.”

“Actually, Kenny, I’ve been an adult way longer than you have,” Connor chimes in, lugging his skis across the threshold. He’s insisted on carrying his own apparently very fragile equipment rather than letting one of the drivers do it. 

Kendall snorts. “What, you wanna arm-wrestle man-to-man over the best room or something?”

“I’ll be gracious and let you have it, don’t worry. I was just saying.” 

“Wow, thanks, Con. That’s so big of you.”  
Kendall spreads his arms out expansively, grinning.

“Really, you guys don’t even know how nice it is to have my own bedroom and bathroom again. I’m going to take about three baths a day, just ‘cause I can. You know, my room in the dorms is literally the size of a closet? And I’ve got fucking Jason moping around in there all day too, trying to tell me the dining hall food isn’t really that bad or whatever.” 

A note of real irritation has crept into his voice. 

“It sucks that freshmen have to live in the dorms. I mean, you’d think Dad could do something about that for me. Well, anyway, it’s good to have a break.” 

He shrugs and heads up the stairs. 

* * *

By the time Roman gets back down from his room, most people are gathered in the front room, waiting for dinner to be ready. Outside the plate-glass windows, it’s all icy blue light glancing off of snow and cold rows of dark pines. It’s beautiful, but Roman curls his bare toes against the fluffy carpet and is grateful he’s currently inside. The staff have already set out a cozy winter spread, from a wheel of baked Brie with nuts and cranberries to spinach puffs. Roman loads up a little china plate--with an aspen leaf pattern on it, isn’t that just fucking cute? 

There are four mugs of hot chocolate set out, already capped with whipped cream. One for Roman, one for Shiv, and two for Elizabeth and Katie Kellman. Sweets for the babies, Roman thinks sourly. There’s a punch bowl full of mulled wine, too, and of course Kendall’s serving himself, even if he’s not of age either, technically. Roman bypasses the hot chocolate and takes the ladle when Kendall’s done with it. 

“Romulus, what the fuck are you doing?” 

He doesn’t sound particularly mad, just bemused, but Roman still jumps a little. 

“I’m getting a drink, Dad?”

“You want a shot of vodka next? You’re thirteen.” 

Kendall and Stewie used to sneak whiskey out of the living room bar when they were Roman’s age, but it’s not like Dad noticed. It’s on the tip of Roman’s tongue, but talking back to his father has never gotten him anything good, so he grabs a hot chocolate and muffles his discontent with a long slurp. 

“You have to be this tall to ride the rollercoaster, Romey,” Kendall laughs, waving his hand a couple inches above Roman’s head. 

Their father finishes filling his own cup and heads towards the fireplace, joining into Baird and Gerri’s conversation.

“Or just don’t do it when Dad’s right there, dude.”

He grins conspiratorially and pats Roman on the shoulder, then takes a big swig of his drink. 

Shiv trots over to the fireplace herself, dutifully holding her hot chocolate, and snuggles up against their father’s side like a puppy looking for a treat. 

“Can I try your wine, Daddy?” 

Of course he lets her have a sip, and of course she makes direct eye contact with Roman the whole time. 

* * *

They’re on the mountain the next morning, bright and early. Hit the slopes, Dad says, before it gets too crowded. Even at an exclusive resort, you could end up waiting in line for the ski lift, and that wouldn’t do. Baird takes the little girls over to the bunny slope--they’ve never done this before, and he’s not a big skier himself, he says with an aw-shucks smile. Gerri’s the family snowbird, apparently. 

Roman watches her, once the rest of them have started down their own run. At first, he doesn’t see it. Connor loves this: he usually stays in their Aspen house for a whole month in the winter, while Dad’s back in New York at work and the other kids are in school. He’s fast, and flashy, and confident. Gerri seems cautious, but the more Roman watches the more he sees her balance and grace. 

Their first run is an intermediate, and Roman manages it with no problems. When they regroup at the base of the lifts, Connor’s grinning and full of energy.

“I’m thinking of swinging for a black diamond next run. Who’s with me? Dad? Kendall?”

“Sure, I’m up for it.” Kendall’s bare-headed, hair mussed by the mountain wind. 

“You boys go ahead,” their dad says. “Someone needs to look after the ladies on the blues.”

Gerri smiles complacently, even though Roman knows she can look after herself.   
Shiv wrinkles her nose. She looks like a snow princess from some Nordic fairytale, with her bright white parka and fur-lined hood, braided red pigtails poking out. Snow princesses aren’t allowed to ski black diamonds. 

“I’m coming!” Roman says, waddling forward on his skis to join his brothers in the lift. “I can do it.”

He sees his father raise his eyebrows, but he doesn’t stop him. Roman feels a little bubble of pride growing in his chest. If Kendall can do it, he can do it. He’ll go slow and balanced, like Gerri. 

Connor’s gone right away, speeding down the slope with a certain grace of his own, vanishing amidst the trees. Roman skids and stumbles his way along the twists, at first trying to keep pace with Kendall, then loses control and overshoots him. For a moment, he’s exhilarated, thrilled at his own speed and the wind rushing past him. Ahead, the trail widens out into a long, steep incline, and he feels his heart in his throat. Roman brakes desperately, scrabbling at the snow with his poles and pointing his feet inward. He topples to the side right at the crest of the hill, hitting the snow with a soft thump. 

Now that he’s stopped, he can’t find the will to start again. It’s like he’s staring down into the maw of some horrible animal, waiting to swallow him up. He should have stayed with Shiv. 

Kendall halts next to him, pokes at him with his own pole.

“Hey, Rome, you okay? Did you fall?”

“No.”

“Scared of heights, then?”

There’s a little lilt in his voice Roman doesn’t like. It sounds like mocking.

“We live in a penthouse, dipshit. I’m not scared of heights, I just don’t want to crack my head open.”

“How are you going to get back down, though?”

“I don’t know. Take off my skis and hike down, I guess.” 

He can barely walk in those stupid ski boots, though, and he still doesn’t like the look of that slope. Roman feels his eyes start to water, and chomps down on his lower lip to distract himself.

“That’s stupid. It’ll take you all day. Hey, bro, how about when I get to the bottom I tell ski patrol where you are?”

“Okay, sure,” Roman says morosely. “I’ll just sit here and hope my butt doesn’t freeze.”

“That’s the spirit.” 

Kendall pats the top of his head and heads off. 

Roman had been half-joking about freezing, but it takes an excruciatingly long time for the ski patrol to turn up. He develops a searing resentment of every snowsuited asshole who whizzes past him, while he’s squatting there like some idiot kid. 

He’s even more embarrassed when the ski patrol finally turns up. The first one is some middle-aged man who looks like a gym coach, which is fine, but the other one is a fit blonde guy about Kendall’s age who probably wrestles sharks for fun or something. It figures. 

“Took you long enough,” Roman says. “Someone else better have brained themselves on a tree. My dad could sue, you know.”

He keeps his voice light enough that it’s bitchy-funny, not really threatening.

The younger guy laughs. 

“Not a tree-braining, but we did have another injury on this slope. You were smart to tap out if you were worried about making it down.”

He’s probably just saying it to make Roman feel like less of a pussy, but it works. 

“So how do you get me down?”

“We’re going to tow you in this sling,” the older guy says, brandishing a red rubber monstrosity that looks like—

“Dude, that’s a body bag. I’m not getting hauled down there in a body bag. I’ve got a reputation to maintain.” 

The blonde guy laughs again. 

“This is the safest way for you, okay? Plus, it’s protocol.”

He puts his hand on Roman’s shoulder. 

“Come on, up you get.”

Roman complains about it, and he feels like an idiot the whole time he’s being towed down the mountain, but he complies. 

Kendall’s waiting for him at the ski patrol lodge, drinking a hot chocolate.

“You stuck around?”

“Kind of had to, bro.” He waves his right hand, which is splinted. “Broke my wrist on the way down.”

“Seriously? Not a great day for the Roys, huh?”

“They paged Dad. He wants me to go to the hospital, just in case. Want some hot chocolate?”

Roman shuffles his feet. “Hey, Kendall?”

“Yeah?” 

“When Dad gets here, can you not tell him about what happened with me? I don’t want him to think I flipped out or chickened or anything.”

“Yeah, okay. I can do that.”

“Thanks, Ken.”

When their father gets there, though, he barely even notices Roman. Much as he didn’t want his failures to be broadcasted, it still makes him feel a bit funny, standing there and watching Kendall getting fussed over like some poor little injured baby bird. 

“Does it still hurt? Did they give you anything? Just ibuprofen?”

He turns on the ski patrol people, making them quail in a way Roman’s half-joking threats never could. 

“You couldn’t have gotten him anything stronger? He broke his fucking wrist. I’m sure the people at the hospital will take care of him properly.” 

“It’s not that big a deal, Dad.” 

Kendall is blushing.

“Sorry for ruining everyone’s snow day. I guess I shouldn’t have pushed myself so hard.”

“You’ll get better over time, Ken,” Connor cuts in, reassuring. “Practice makes perfect.” 

“Well, you’ve certainly got plenty of free time to practice, don’t you? Where were you when he got hurt, anyway?” 

Connor flinches when their father snaps at him. Roman half-expects to get taken to task for not protecting Kendall himself, but Connor’s hastily stammered apologies seem to soothe his anger. 

Roman slips up next to Kendall on the way out the door. His face is pale, tightly drawn, mouth twisted downwards. Roman doesn’t know if he’s in pain or if he’s just uncomfortable with the fuss. He leans over and nudges his shoulder on the uninjured side.

“So, it's gonna be pretty hard for you to jack off now, huh?”

“Ew, Roman, that’s disgusting,” Kendall says, but he’s laughing. That makes Roman smile. 

**Author's Note:**

> Wanted to do more with younger Roys, although teenage Roys are different to toddler Roys. The thought of Kendall trying to navigate living in a dorm with a roommate is hilarious to me. Also wanted to play with sibling dynamics and how Logan relates to his kids differently and how that might have mapped onto their relationships when they were younger.


End file.
